Anagram
by Winged Element
Summary: Vergil has lost so many already in his life, he's not going to lose any more. He will go to any lengths necessary to get the power he needs to protect himself and others from the same loss.
1. Discovery

A/N: Hey guys, if you're still keeping up with this series, then awesome! If you're a new reader (which is totally cool, you don't need the previous stuff to keep up), then welcome! This is yet more of the absolutely massive working that is me trying to encompass the entire lore of Devil May Cry and even as I type I don't know if I'm about to start typing about Dante or Vergil… Vergil's farther ahead right now, so go check out The Boy in Blue if you want more of him!

Disclaimer: Vergil, I'm thinking Vergil, who I don't own btw

Discovery

Vergil shivered again. He had snuck onto the largest ship he'd seen at port, trying to get out of town as fast as he could and no one would expect him to go by boat. Now he could finally feel them moving. It wasn't an extremely long ride but long enough to the other shore, the young half devil was just starting to nod off behind some boxes when someone rounded the corner.

"You!" he whispered, Vergil was on his feet again in seconds. This man wasn't the captain, he was likely another straggler from the town, a survivor of the attack as well. "You just thought it was okay to bring disaster upon our town and then just leave?!" the man was about to rush the boy when he noticed the eerie glow of his eyes and his ears registered the growl that permeated the air. "You're… you're one of them."

"You got that right, _human_." Vergil spat the word at the man as he stalked forward, rage pulsing through his veins and throbbing out of the ancient katana in the back of his mind, rage at the real monsters that had blamed him and his foster mother of the disaster, rage at himself for not being strong enough, _again_. And now, this _lowlife_ thought that he had the ability to challenge him? He stalked forward, power rippling through his small body, changing it from one of a young human to that of a young devil, wings flaring behind him and causing the man to back into the box behind him.

"You think you can just hurt me, hurt my family again?" he tackled the man, claws latched into his throat. The man gargled in response. "Do you!?" the young devil shouted at the man, who simply went limp as his life drained out of his neck. Vergil looked down at the blood coating his claws in disgust, he flicked the blood off, changing back into his human form, wondering why it took so much less effort to hold this form rather than his demonic one. He'd have to see what kind of research he could find on half breeds at some point. In the meantime, he looked down at the body of the man, he couldn't find it in himself to have any remorse for the man and all the same he took the body and threw it over the side of the ship with a small grunt, he'd only cause trouble for him in the long run. He sat back down against the box and hugged his knees to his chest, looking for all the world like a young boy again and not like he had just committed murder without a second thought.

"Where am I supposed to go now…?" he wondered, his heart hurt, it felt better to focus on the blinding rage that burned inside his soul instead.

 _You need more power to protect yourself, to protect anything you care about._ Yamato whispered in his mind, Vergil went rigid, the blade had never spoken to him before, it had always chosen to remain silent, pushing feelings and ideas at him but never actual words. It's voice was deep, and steady, speaking in the same rumbling demonic language that his father had spoken to himself and Dante when they were very young. The sword sensed his unease and rumbled again

 _Words are difficult now, ideas work better._ It fell silent then but pushed into him the idea of a forest. Vergil wondered where that was supposed to be but the sword was particularly dormant in his mind, he wondered if it was tired from the effort of speaking. He prodded at it for a moment and when he got no response he stopped, tired himself from the events of the day and the pain in his heart. He closed his eyes and allowed unconsciousness to overtake him.

-Anagram-

He woke again to the sound of people moving on the deck of the ship and quickly darted to his feet, he had to get off without someone noticing him. Luckily they were all near the cabins and it was simple work for the half breed to climb over the side and swim the short way to shore. Once there he darted through town as quick as he dared, pausing only to dig in his backpack for the small sum of money that Madeline had given him before they'd tried to leave town and bought some food, scarfing it down as quickly as he could before finishing his exit of town. He had no idea where he was going or why but he needed to get away, that's all that he could focus on.

The half devil stopped only when he was out of breath and surrounded only by trees. It was there that he felt the weight of all the losses he endured in his short life. A chocked sob escaped his lips and he fell to his knees, letting loose all the sadness that he could. He was half human, he was still allowed to act like it sometimes, he reasoned with himself as he felt the sun beat down on his face and tears.

A/N: I know this is pretty short for a first chapter but I want to get this ball rolling and will be starting the second chapter for next week presently, I'm hoping to keep a much more regular schedule now that I'm nearly caught up with fanfiction.

Till next time,

-Winged Element


	2. Position

A/N: Alright, let's get this next chapter knocked out cause I kinda want to go to bed cause I'm lame like that… but I also have to work tomorrow and we have our next DnD session tomorrow too, and I would like to assassinate more people :p

Disclaimer: Most of these ideas are mine, but many of them are just strung together bits of other people's ideas… so yeah…

Position

Vergil was snapped out of his internal misery by the sound of rustling leaves, footsteps, he concluded and was on his feet with Yamato drawn and at the ready, he didn't need anyone finding him like this… The only thing that greeted him were a set of glowing red eyes peeping out of the bushes curiously. The thing quickly revealed itself to be a hellhound, tilting its head at him as though it wasn't quite sure what to make of the thing that smelled of both human and devil. Vergil snarled, eyes flashing back a glow of their own. The hellhound whimpered, its tail curling in-between its legs and it backed up several paces. Vergil grinned a little bit, relaxing his posture, the beast knew it's place, that much was for sure. He settled down on the grass and took a deep breath, listening carefully as he closed his eyes in case the hellhound decided to move, and began to organize his thoughts.

He tucked all the pain and hurt deep into his heart, far away from anyone looking for it, he needed to be stronger, and to do that he built up walls of his rage and desire for power all around, using it as armor from any more hurt that he was sure was to come. He may be young but he still knew that it didn't take much to tear away the things someone cared about. He took a deep breath and then prodded at Yamato, the sword had been unusually still since the boat yesterday when it had spoken to him for the first and only time.

Slowly the presence leaked back into his mind, seeming frustrated before taking in its young master's memories and thoughts and state of mind. It became aware of where the half breed was and sent calming pulses to the boy, he was far too emotional for his own good sometimes… the sword knew that that would get better with age, that all hatchlings were prone to fits but the human half of him just made the whole thing worse. The half devil had somehow ended up exactly where the sword wanted him to be, but the forest was vastly different from how it remembered it, it wasn't sure where within the forest was that which it was seeking, and even if it was there anymore…

Vergil startled when something warm settled at his side, he looked down to see the hellhound curled up next to him. He had been too wrapped in his own thoughts and the feelings pouring from Yamato to concentrate on anything else. Good thing the beast recognized him as a stronger power and didn't challenge him for the position because with the advantage of surprise he likely would have lost… He looked at the demon and it snuffed, laying its massive head along his lap. The boy let out a nervous chuckle and patted it gently. It snuffed again and licked his hand once, its scorching tongue leaving red marks that disappeared within seconds.

-Anagram-

The young half devil was awoken by the sensation of a searing hot tongue lapping him awake, he wasn't sure exactly when he'd fallen asleep but he'd slept for far too long… he stood up, looking at the stars above him and wondering what time it was. His stomach rumbled, reminding him of lost meals and a town that he had no idea how to get back to. The hellhound yipped at him and he looked at it, confused. It yipped again, taking a few steps and looking back at him expectantly

"You want me to follow you?" he asked it, it just yipped again and took off into the woods. Vergil had to nearly sprint to keep up with the beast's long strides. He thought it was just going to run him into the ground when he noticed a light ahead among the trees. He picked up the pace, hoping that whatever this thing was was very much worth it. A cabin slowly appeared ahead and the hellhound barked excitedly. The door opened though Vergil could only see a silhouette, a very inhuman one judging by the horns decorating its head.

" _Shark, where have you been?_ " the voice that called out was in the demonic tongue and Vergil had to pause in his steps to decipher it. It seemed to notice him then and a light blazed out from the house and he froze

"What do you want?" the voice called in English, and Vergil was caught in the beam that emanated from the being's hand. Luckily shark seemed plenty willing to answer for him, it barked happily at its master, running over to Vergil and licking him. The being sighed, taking a few steps out of the door.

"I am terribly sorry for this…" the being paused and seemed to finally register something "Unshield your aura." It demanded, the blazing light taking the shape of a sword. Vergil doubted he could take this being on when it came to a fight and Yamato was silent within him. That left one choice. He let down the barriers that blocked the bulk of his aura. The being before him let the sword go out and both of them were left in the darkness

"You… it can't be… you're of Sparda's blood…"

"How do you know my father?" he demanded, only to have the devil stoop before him

"Please, allow me to offer you shelter for the night."

A/N: Hehe, Vergil you have no idea who you're talking to and you're just going to take advantage of his offer, you little brat XD

Till next time,

-Winged Element


	3. A Surprising Meeting

A/N: Yup, new chapter! Moving right along!

Disclaimer: Y'know what's cool? Not not owning this, that's for sure

A Surprising Meeting

Vergil still didn't know what to think of the being in front of him. It was very obviously a devil, a common devil if he knew his species properly, judging off of the horns and spaded tail, though it was purple and not red as he thought he had read.

"How do you know my father?" the half devil asked again, he wasn't going to trust this thing if it didn't give him a reason to.

"Your father… I supported him from the shadows back in his rebellion. I know that the legends say it was single handed, and those of us that did help didn't want what we were doing to get out as it would easily get us killed, but I guarded the slip here just as my family had done for generations, though I killed anything that got through rather than just maintain care of it."

"Slip?" Vergil asked, he'd seen the word before in some of his father's tomes but only had the vaguest grasp on what the word meant

"You know how lesser demons will get through between the human and demonic world though it isn't a true portal?" Vergil nodded "That's a slip, this is a larger one, some devils can make it through with some practice and talent, but smaller ones exist nearly everywhere, that's how low level demons get through all the time, it isn't easy for them, which is why most of humanity no longer believes in them but they still sneak through and quite often. I apologize, speaking your ear off while you stand outside, please, come in, I will provide you shelter for at least the night." Vergil finally stepped into the house, it was more of a cottage really, but quiet and homey, reminding him of how almost 'nest-like' his father's library was with its winding shelves and small nooks and crannies.

"I'm sorry about the lack of formalities, I never expected to see a devil of your caliper here." Vergil looked at him, he knew that his father had been of importance in the demonic world but how much?

"I… this is fine." He said, Yamato pulsed in his mind

 _You are more than you know._ It said and Vergil couldn't help the slight shiver than ran down his spine.

"You have a devil arm." The devil said, it wasn't a question, it was a fact. Vergil nodded and summoned Yamato, the ancient katana didn't resist and Vergil took it as a sign of trust of this devil, was this were Yamato had been trying to take him before? The devil's pupil-less eyes widened and he whispered in the demonic tongue

" _Hellfire and all above,_ is that really Yamato?" the first part the younger only recognized because his father had said it a couple times when he'd burned himself or stubbed a toe.

"Yes." The half devil extended it for better observation but didn't relinquish his grip in the slightest. The other devil's hands fluttered over the top but didn't touch, seeming to respect the boy's desire to keep the blade within his grip.

"I never thought I'd see it in person." He backed away, allowing Vergil to reabsorb the blade.

"He knows you." The younger said, expressing the ancient devil's words as it could no longer do

"He… does?"

"He sent me this way, who are you?" the devil bowed his head a little

"I am extremely honoured that the great Yamato remembers one such as me, but I am little more than a common devil, I go by Theuram though you may call me whatever you like." Vergil didn't quite know how to respond to that

"Your name is enough for me. Please, you don't need to bow, I uh… I just need someplace to stay for a while." The half devil said this softly, he didn't really know what else to say. Theuram looked up at him in mild shock

"You want to stay here? It's no problem of course!" the devil backtracked "But why on earth would you want to stay here?" he asked, Vergil looked back out the door, the events of the past days trying to weigh down heavily on him, he shut them out

"I have nowhere else to go right now." The devil's expression softened slightly

"Come in hatchling, you will be safe here." Theuram seemed to take in the blood covering his frame only in that moment. "Must've been some battle that you were a part of." He said

"It was." Vergil said coldly, his hands clenching into fists "And I wasn't strong enough again to protect that which I needed to." There was suddenly a hot hand on his shoulder and Vergil looked up into the pupil-less eyes of the devil that had taken him into his home.

" _You must cool your rage hatchling, rage alone will do you no good, it must be worked and tempered like steel, then it will be of mighty use."_ It took Vergil a long moment to understand what he meant in the foreign tongue, it was something that he had only spoken in minor amounts since childhood and it had been a long time since he'd truly used it.

 _"I… understand_." He said slowly, the devil raised an eyebrow at him

 _"You do speak the old tongue do you not?"_ he asked and Vergil nodded slowly

" _Not since I was little, it is hard to remember the feel."_ The old devil laughed at him then.

 _"Then I will help you sharpen your wits as well as your blade, but first we must have a good meal in our bellies, come, tonight we go for a hunt."_ Vergil grinned, he could use to feel blood on his blade again, this was a fight he would win.

A/N: I think it's interesting to explore how Vergil became so knowledgeable about the demon world :)

Till next time,

-Winged Element


	4. The Taste of Copper

A/N: I'm just gonna keep right on going here… even though the chapter before this won't even release until tomorrow… but either way, I'm gonna pump this out now

Disclaimer: You know what sucks? An itchy bra, it really, really sucks…

The Taste of Copper

Vergil couldn't help the grin that split his face as he stalked forward toward the weak devil in the woods, it had come through the slip, he knew, Theuram had told him that he'd loosened the barriers just a little to give them something proper to hunt. He'd been surprised though when the older devil had commanded him to take on his demonic form

" _I know that half blood can do this._ " He said and Vergil had acquiesced, and now he was surprised at how easy it was to hold onto the form with the smell of prey in his nose and adrenalin pumping thickly through his veins. This was fantastic! He let loose a low growl and the weak demon let out a screech, darting for cover as fast as it could. Vergil growled again, tempted to just teleport over to it, but Theuram had told him to keep it to his own claws and fangs only. When he'd asked why the devil said

" _We learn to survive before we learn to live_." Vergil understood this, somewhere, deep in his bones, it was like long forgotten instincts were raging to life. He surged forward, the hunger in his belly driving him forward, faster, faster… he leapt, his claws scraping along the flank of the demon, but not downing it yet… he snarled as he tumbled back to his feet. He heard a roar from Theuram and the demon darted back into his direction. He roared back, he didn't want any help! He could do this on his own! He tackled the demon viciously, tearing open its throat with his teeth alone. The blood gushed into his mouth with more ferocity than he expected and he jerked his head back in surprise. Theuram showed up then, his tail wrapping around the monster's hind leg before it could dart off on them.

" _A devil's healing it very fast but doesn't work as efficiently as a humans'"_ he explained and Vergil nodded, though his instincts still wanted to just tackle the demon next to them he held himself in check, the knowledge could be just as interesting and satisfying as the taste of the monster that was held in their capture. " _Wounds that are healed in this quick manner are often extremely weak points, take them out and you have yourself a kill."_ He explained and Vergil nodded, turning back to the demon, the wound he'd bit into its neck had stopped bleeding but he could still see the pulsing of the blood beneath the thin layer of skin, using his claws this time rather than his teeth he tore right through its neck, watching as the monster gave a final cry and collapsed on the ground, body giving a few final twitched before just giving up… Theuram gestured to the body.

" _Your kill, you get the first taste._ " Vergil hesitated, he'd not thought about the fact that he would be expected to eat the monster as it was… he looked back up at the devil who was standing next to him.

" _Did you not partake in hunts with your father?"_ Vergil paused, now that he thought about it, he was pretty sure that he and Dante had hunted down live animals as small children before… but he wasn't sure if they had eaten them… He took a deep breath and leaned down, tearing a chunk of the beast off in his bare teeth, and then chewed and swallowed, contemplating the whole thing as he did. It wasn't something he was used to but… it wasn't unpleasant… his stomach rumbled and he tore in with more gusto, giving in to the hunger beating in his stomach.

-Anagram-

When the two finished their meal the body of the monster disintegrated quickly, leaving nothing but wisps of smoke behind.

" _Why does it… disappear?_ " Vergil asked slowly, still trying to pick up the demonic tongue with the ease that he knew he had spoken it as a child, it wasn't coming easily but it was getting there… that was for sure. Theuram smiled, clearly happy that he was trying to speak and ask questions despite having a very limited vocabulary.

" _It's body goes back to the demonic realm when it dies, it didn't slip back as quickly as we were devouring it because… well that's just how it goes."_ He responded, Vergil nodded, for now satisfied with this answer. " _Let's go back to the cabin, I believe I still have some stew over the fire_." He said and Vergil shot him a confused look, slipping back into his human form out of habit

" _Stew? But we just ate…"_ he said, Theuram gestured at his human body

" _Yes and you are still half human, you still need what a human needs, as well as what a devil needs you need to hunt and kill but you also need your fruits and vegetables."_ He laughed at Vergil's expression " _Don't think that I don't know what a human needs, I've dropped in on their society enough, watched them long enough to know what they physically need at the very least, besides, I am perfectly allowed to enjoy the wonderful food that this world has to offer."_ It was Vergil's turn to laugh, the idea of Theuram just walking down a street as he was now was just amusing. He knew that nearly all devils worth even a spit were able to create their own human guises but he didn't know what Theuram's looked like and was only able to picture the purple devil walking down the street, tail swinging in time to a local music shop's beat… he laughed harder.

" _What's so funny?"_ the devil demanded, when Vergil didn't respond he sighed and said

" _You are going to be a handful aren't you hatchling…?"_

A/N: Yup!

Till next time,

-Winged Element


	5. Learning

A/N: And another chapter, two left for the upcoming week and then picking stuff up and homework and the like ^^; woot procrastination all day! Well I did feel like shit, still do actually so… yeah I'm not too worried about pushing stuff off a tad… Also as a note, demonic tongue is now normal and English is italicized as that's the one that they're speaking less

Disclaimer: Boo. Hoo.

Learning

"Again." Theuram said and Vergil growled loudly, climbing back to his feet and taking a fighting stance once more. He charged forward and yelled, taking a swing with the heavy stick that he had been given to replace Yamato, only to end up on his face again. He snarled into the dirt, why wasn't he any good at this.

"Again." Came the command and Vergil tried to simply appear next to the older devil, it was a trick he knew he could pull off, but the experience creature anticipated this and whacked him off to the side once more.

"Come on hatchling, I am by no means the greatest swordsman to have lived in the demonic realm, if you cannot even defeat me then what to you expect to be able to do in the future?" he taunted, Vergil yelled, charging blindly, only to be stopped by a single arm. He slapped at it viciously with his stick and he saw Theuram wince once before the stick too was caught. The purple devil knelt and looked into his eyes.

"Think Vergil, you cannot win a fight on rage alone, you have to think. Use the rage as fuel, that's fine, but do not let it blind you, you must watch your opponent, keep track of them, understand how they work. If you know your opponent, can predict them, you will be able to defeat them. Knowledge is half the battle." Even as the devil spoke, Vergil felt himself calming, Theuram was right, his moves got sloppy when he got overly angry or frustrated.

"Let's move on to magic." The devil said and Vergil nodded, collecting himself and putting the stick alongside the house where it belonged. He joined Theuram again and wondered what the devil was going to have him do this time. The devil had told him after he had appeared there, that a devil learned how to survive before it learned how to live. That didn't work out as well as Vergil was only half devil, and Theuram understood that, mixing his lessons of those on swordsplay, magic and the demonic tongue in along with lessons of survival, of hunting, of honing his instincts down to a fine, sharp point.

"We're going to have you start casting your demonic energy through Yamato." The devil said and Vergil raised a brow. He knew his demonic energy was what amounted to a great deal of his strength and power but he didn't know that he was able to cast it through anything.

"You didn't know you could do that?" Theuram read the expression on his face with ease. Vergil shook his head and the older devil sighed.

"Oh boy, we have some work to do, draw Yamato." Vergil did as he was commanded, summoning forth the ancient blade.

"Release your demonic aura." The half breed paused, it wasn't exactly safe for him to do that on many levels. His aura was extremely identifiable to many demons and devils and powerful too, it wasn't exactly hard for something to track him down on those to details alone.

"Don't worry, I've put up some wards against it, the only ones who will sense it will be myself and Shark." The hellhound lifted his head at the sound of his name.

"Wards?" Vergil asked, unfamiliar with the demonic word

" _Protective barriers. Wards."_ The devil repeated in English, Vergil nodded, noting how the word rolled off the tip of his tongue, Theuram wasn't afraid to correct his speech, although from time to time he had to get the half breed into his demonic form to fully comprehend how some of the sounds were made before he could try to replicate them in his human form. The partial devil let out his aura and smiled as he noticed the fur around Shark's neck rise and Theuram's tail twitch at the revelation of it.

"Alright now push that energy into Yamato." Vergil looked down at the ancient katana and felt around in his demonic energy. How was he supposed to _push_ it? The katana flared its own energy as the old devil within pulled at his master's power gently. To forcefully take it's master's power was exceedingly difficult and painful for both parties but the boy needed a guiding hand right now. It wasn't easy for even full blooded devils to learn how to manipulate their energy into many forms and conduits but Vergil didn't exactly come from an ordinary bloodline of devils either. A grin lit up Vergil's face as the blade began to glow with bright white light.

"Now, aim for a tree and fire it."

-Anagram-

Vergil was exhausted by the time they reached dinner, he was about to head into the house when the sound of Theuram's voice stopped him. He paused and looked back at the devil, who wore a smirk upon his face. Vergil felt his stomach drop, that face was never a good sign…

"You are hunting for your own dinner tonight hatchling." Vergil opened his mouth to protest but quickly stopped. There was no point in arguing. He hung his head and then opened his senses to figure out what was around him. A single, small demonic aura in the distance. He sighed, gathered up what remained of his demonic energy, changed and took off into the trees.

He returned, full but more tired than ever to find a note on the door informing him that he was on his own for shelter too. The half blood groaned and began to search out some place to rest his head for the night…

A/N: Poor Vergil, rigorous training is the worst :p

Till next time,

-Winged Element


	6. Search

A/N: So windows 10 is a piece of shit. I had most of a chapter for another fic on my laptop, was almost done when the laptop restarts with no warning for updates, it not only didn't ask me or warn me, it didn't create a backup file of that which I was working on so I lost all the progress I made on it. I was going to be done with fanfiction pretty shortly here for the night but now I'm going to have to rewrite three quarters of a chapter… *fumes more* I wanted to start the next Legend of Drizzt book tonight… *grumbles more*

Disclaimer: Guys, I can't even claim ownership to my own. Goddam. Computer. Apparently. *still angry*

Search

Vergil was reading through one of Theuram's tomes, as the devil kept an extremely good record of the events throughout the years, on top of the tomes that he kept on the general history of the demonic realm. The older devil was out picking up the few supplies that they had to get from the human town nearby, and Vergil had been told that he was going to be tested on his knowledge of the history from the rule of Gaddun to the upset of Leizhar. This was something that Vergil had little issue with. He would have sat down and read the massive tomes in his own time regardless. He barely twitched when the door opened and closed and a russle was heard as Theuram deposited the supplies where they belonged. The devil sat down across from him and only then did Vergil look up.

"You are one of two in your litter yes?" the purple devil asked and Vergil blinked, it had been a long time since he'd heard that word, and it caused him to think back on said littermate.

"Yes." He said softly, wondering where his brother could be, if he had even survived long after the massacre that had happened at the house.

"Is your littermate alive? It is another male correct?" the half blood smirked at the way Theuram thought of things, it was a very demonic way of thinking.

"Yes, though… I am not sure if he is alive." The blue half breed responded, worrying his lip slightly at the idea of his brother being gone.

"Often I wonder the same of my littermates." Theuram smiled and then continued when Vergil looked up in curiosity "But you can feel them," he tapped his head "in here. Unless they go to the other side, whether that be the demonic or human realm, it is hard to keep track of them there." He sighed leaning back "Though after many hundreds of years, it does get a bit hard to feel them anymore, you aren't as connected as you used to be." He smiled and Vergil felt around in the place that he normally searched out demonic auras with, it was hard to concentrate with Theuram there but just as he had thought before, he was sure that he wasn't alone, he was sure that Dante was around somewhere.

"I believe that my brother is alive yet in this world." Vergil said, focusing his intense blue gaze on the devil in front of him

"Good. That's very good. Now we just have to find him."

"How?" Vergil asked

"There are many ways we can go about it but first we have to go to the last place you two were together." The purple devil knew that this was going to be hard on the young one in front of him but it had to be done. The boys should have never separated, it was hard on young ones like them when they grew up apart. Even if they were half human… it would be easier to teach the two of them together, having another counterpart would help them grow stronger if they were constantly testing themselves against one another.

"We have to go back there?" Vergil whispered, remembering how hard it had been with Madeline, and now to have the weight of her death on his young shoulders too… "I don't know if I…"

"You can." Theuram interrupted the young one in front of him and Vergil worried his lip in response. "Rest now, we'll take off first thing in the morning." Vergil looked at him

"How are we getting there?"

"You will guide the way. It'll be good practice for you." The half devil sighed at this, always more training.

-Anagram-

It took several days journey by car for the duo to reach the old remains of the house. No one had bought the property yet and it was still just an empty lot with the ruins of a house looming on top. The half devil swallowed thickly upon seeing the place. His chest ached as he remembered old wounds and burning vengeances. This was the place that had taken his father, his mother and his brother from him. The loss of his father was one that was nearly forgotten, though his lessons with Theuram had brought up how much he had missed out on being raised by humans for the inbetween years of his young life.

"Where did you last see your brother?" Theuram asked from behind him as they walked up the hill. Vergil took a deep breath and walked him to the closet that he had been hiding in until he was sure that his mother was going to get overwhelmed.

"Here. But I already looked here when I came here with Madeline…" he choked off on those words. Then forced the tears down. Devil's never cried, he reminded himself, he couldn't keep letting this weaker part of himself take control. It wouldn't do. Humans were weak, it had been brave of Madeline to take him in but she couldn't overcome the faults of her own race, but he, he was more than human.

"But before you didn't know what to look for." Theuram said, bending down and picking up a piece of red fabric. "Now, you do."

A/N: Now I'm going to retype that stupid…. Piece of crap… *grumbles*

Till next time,

-Winged Element


	7. Hunting Techniques

A/N: I'm just going to keep plugging along here in the Parkview Café, typing along as though I didn't have a bunch of homework, notes and studying to get started on for the week ^^; Those aren't as important as typing the chapters for next week right? *laughs nervously* good god I'm ready to graduate… after next semester… I keep telling myself…

Disclaimer: Disclaimed

Hunting Techniques

"That's Dante's." Vergil whispered, looking closely at the piece of red fabric "It has to be." He remembered every tiny detail of that day, from the smell of the burning house, to the smell of gunpowder in the air as his mother blasted away devil after devil with her guns. He knew Dante had been wearing a red shirt that day, not that that had been unusual for the younger sibling. Vergil wondered if Dante's demonic form was red in that moment, blue had always been his favorite color and his own demonic form had turned out that very color, there was a lot of blacks and greys in it too but overall he had a lot of blue scales and hide. He voiced his question to Theuram then. The older devil looked at him.

"It's definitely possible. Your father's coloring was very purple, so the chances of you two being any combination of the colors that make up that tone is very likely. There was no influence on your demonic form from your mother, that much is pretty clear." Vergil wondered about that.

"Will I ever be able to be as powerful as a true devil?" he asked then, his memories here reminding him that he hadn't been strong enough, hadn't been strong enough again when Madeline had been taken down by a simple human being.

"If you work hard enough." Theuram said "If you work hard enough to overcome the human weakness in your veins." The young half devil's fists clenched then, he knew that he could, he knew that the power was there somewhere in him. Someday… someday he would surpass even his father's power and strength.

"How can we find my brother?" Vergil asked then, that was the first step, he needed to find his brother, the other boy needed to be protected, he wasn't nearly as strong as Vergil, had never been as good at defending himself.

"We take this back to the nest." Theuram said, holding up the piece of fabric "The aura around it is very weak but there are spells to help bring it out, we need to do so, and then we can try to locate your littermate." Vergil nodded, trying to look around at the spot where he had fallen. The purple devil noticed this.

"Look at it. This is where you fell defending your mother is it not?" the half blood nodded "Look to where you weren't strong enough. Know that you will overcome that, use it as a strength to become stronger, you will be able to protect yourself and others one day."

"Yes." Vergil swore, seeing that moment again and again in his head, one day he would be the one to destroy Mundus, to tear apart the monster that had torn apart his home.

-Anagram-

Once they arrived back at the small cottage that the half devil had come to call home Theuram set himself to work, pulling together ingredients necessary to perform the spell to pull out more of the very weak demonic aura that surrounded the small piece of fabric. Vergil couldn't even sense the aura around it though the older devil told him that this was because he was so accustomed to the younger half devil's aura that it would be nearly impossible for him to sense it until they strengthened it. Vergil nearly groaned when Theuram started quizzing him on the history that he had been reading before their expedition, he wanted to focus on the spell at hand but the older devil waved him off.

"It's too complicated for you, now what happened the second generation came into power?" he asked and Vergil put his head down on the table

"She had to fight off the oppressors of her cousin's army who didn't think she had the power to take control. They were very, very wrong." Vergil remembered the described events of the battle, it was fascinating that within the demonic realm, if you had the power to take control, you could just take it, if you could prove that you had the power to back yourself up, no one questioned your background. Until then though, your reputation was the reputation of those that preceded you. The half devil's head snapped up when he felt a tingling in the back of his mind that he hadn't felt in a very, very long time. Theuram laughed at the surprised expression on his face

"Working pretty well isn't it?" he asked and Vergil nodded "It's a good thing that we got something that Dante kept close to his body, more of his aura seeps into it that way." Vergil just stared at the tiny piece of fabric, he was getting so close now… his brother wasn't that far away anymore… he would find the other half devil, and bring him home where he belonged.

"Now what?"

"Now, I'm going to teach you how to perform a tracking spell." Vergil leaped up out of his chair and walked over to the small bit of counter that Theuram had designated as his workshop for spellcrafting and small experiments. "Put your hands over this." The old devil guided the boy's hands "Yamato had probably performed a few of these so I'm going to talk you through the steps and he should be able to guide you as well." Vergil nodded, closing his eyes, eager to begin this journey.

A/N: Yup, I'm going to cut it off right there, I think this fic is going to be a lot shorter than some of the other ones in this series, I think we're about at the halfway point. But I could be wrong! ^^;

Till next time,

-Winged Element


	8. Catching Sight

A/N: Typing once again in between classes… *huffs slightly* this semester's a doozy… I'm waiting for a couple classmates to show up here so I can ask them a couple things about the beginning of the second case study for engineering economy… either way I'm going to type until they get here, hopefully get a really good start on this chapter…

Disclaimer: Why is this still necessary?

Catching Sight

Vergil woke particularly early that morning, his stomach trilling with nervous butterflies. It had been several weeks and many many tries and further research and a couple dead ends and now they were pretty sure that they had actually found Dante's trail. His brother was alive… he could still barely believe it… the young half devil bit his lip, he could finally bring his brother home, where he belonged, he just might be strong enough to protect him this time. Vergil nearly skipped out of bed and got around for the day, scrounging up something to eat in Theuram's sparse kitchen and letting Shark out of the cabin before he got too overwhelmed with the half devil's excitement. The hellhound had gotten in the habit of sleeping with the half blood, much to Theuram's displeasure, he much preferred the hellhound sleep outside and keep an eye on things like he was supposed to, but the mutt had started howling until he was let inside where he could keep an eye on his favorite young devil. Vergil started though some of his practice routines, just to feel warmed up and to dispel some of his nervous energy until the older devil rolled out of bed.

He bounced on his toes, Yamato could feel his excitement and couldn't help but push into it, feeding on it and fueling it at the same time. The excitement caused little flickers of white hot energy to fly off the boy as he flew through his forms, trying to keep the speed down. Theuram had constantly told him to keep it slow, to calm down, he was sure that the young one was fully capable of pulling the moves at the proper speed but doing them slowly was to ensure perfection in the motion, to allow for more thought, more analysis of the forms. Vergil took a deep breath and started again, stepping one way and following with his back foot, only to speed up a couple strokes of the katana latter, by the time he finished his movements were a blur of motion and speed. He heard a laugh behind him and turned, his cheeks turning red in embarrassment.

"I understand, you're excited, I don't blame you." Theuram said and Vergil couldn't help but nod. "It could be another dead end." The purple devil warned

"I have a really good feeling about this one." Vergil said, Theuram smiled and a moment later a lanky looking man stood where the devil had been.

"Well then let's go." He said and the half breed smiled, Yamato disappearing in a spark of light and bounded over to the car.

-Anagram-

It was only a couple hours in the car before they ended in a small city, this hadn't been what Vergil was expecting but the tracking spell hadn't exactly been wrong before. They had tracked Dante to several different places, from a small subdivision to a house deep in the country. They had always asked around with the humans who lived in the area, they had always said the same thing, that they had taken in the young hellion for a short time but he had been such a handful that… This made the half devil smile, Dante had always been really energetic, even when they were really little. This was the first time that they had ended up in a city though… Vergil watched out the city as though he expected to see his twin just wandering up and down the streets. He other half devil had always, always been in the care of other humans though, this worried his brother, what if Dante didn't know how to properly control his demonic abilities? Vergil sighed and then sat up ramrod straight as he sensed it, feeling Dante's presence, weak as it was, but it was there.

"Stop the car." Vergil said flatly. Theuram looked at him in surprise but complied, pulling to the side of the road where the half devil leapt out and started following the vague feeling in the back of his mind. It led him down several winding streets before he ended up in front of an old, worn down building, kids clamoring in and out of it. It was an orphanage, it shouldn't have surprised him but it did, he would have thought that someone would have taken his brother in, but this… The feeling flared a bit brighter in his mind, he whirled and followed it again, ignoring Theuram's voice calling out behind him. He started into a run and could feel himself getting closer and closer to it, one more corner and then there was a laugh.

Vergil froze in place. That sound… that was his brother. There was a crack of gunfire and a _ping!_ Of a can being struck, that laugh started up again. Vergil peeked around a corner, not knowing what to expect. There stood his brother with an older woman who had a hand on his shoulder.

"I can't believe that you haven't fired a gun before Tony." The woman said and Dante just shrugged at her, looking down at the weapon in his hands.

"It just feels natural." He said, Vergil wanted to blurt out a laugh at the fact that his brother had chosen the same cover name as himself, albeit a little shorter. He was about to take the last step around the corner when Yamato flared up in his head.

A/N: Cliffhangers are the best arenn't they? I'm a terrible person but I do have other chapters to move on to…

Till next time,

-Winged Element


	9. Different

A/N: And just going to keep right on going here, gods I forget how cold it is in this building… My hands feel like they're about to turn into icicles… I'm not kidding… Anywho, I'm going to get started now.

Disclaimer: I don't have any rights to this.

Different

Vergil paused, he had learned to pay attention to the ancient katana and what it had to say was usually important and valid if it was going to speak at all. It pulsed again before the raspy voice called out

 _He's different_. Vergil tilted his head, looking back to his brother, who was taking aim at another can, as though he had some vendetta against the shaped aluminum.

 _How?_ Vergil pushed the thoughts toward the devil arm, who in turn directed his attention to his brother's demonic aura, the subtlety of it, it felt… well it felt nearly human as compared to his own, he had just thought that the younger twin was shielding it but… he dug deeper and saw Dante stiffen and lower the gun. Theuram caught up with him then, the older devil slightly out of breath and looked at the smaller half blood.

"He's human." Was the only thing he said, Vergil whirled on him then, not believing the words for a second.

"He is not!" He hissed, aware to keep his voice down as the pair were just around the corner from their target.

"Vergil. You can feel it too, I know you can, he has relinquished his claim on his demonic blood, he may as well be human now." The older twin choked back tears, pushing them down, fighting off the weakness

"Can we fix it?" he asked, he wanted his brother to come back with him, he had missed him so much over the past couple years. Theuram paused, that was never a good sign.

"I don't know." He said "I don't know how he did it in the first place, it's a very risky business, it could damage him if we try to force it back on him." Vergil paused, looked down at his feet, fists clenched

"Can he still come back with us?" he asked and the older devil put a hand on his shoulder

"You know that humans have no place in the demonic world, you're going to have to let him go for now." The young half devil swallowed thickly and looked back over at his brother, he was so close and yet so far away…

"Is he safe here?" he asked, not knowing if the older devil would have an answer for him.

"He appears to be, both safe and happy, that's the best that you can hope for." Theuram gave him a soft smile "At least you know he's alive." He said and Vergil made a face.

"I guess…" he looked back to the younger twin, there had been so much potential there, how had Dante just thrown it away? He shook his head and turned, trying his best to ignore his twin's laughter and the echo of the gunshots in the alleyway.

-Anagram-

It was a long and quiet drive back to the cottage, Vergil said little and Theuram didn't prompt him for anything either. The half devil still had a hard time believing that his brother had just given up his demonic power. The younger twin had relied on it just as much as he had back when they were children, he'd come to rely on it even more nowadays, now that he had even more control over it. He took a deep breath, trying to settle himself, there was little he could do now. As Theuram had said, at least he had confirmation that his brother was alive.

Once back at the cabin, Vergil threw himself into his studies, taking everything he could from Theuram and practicing as much as he could, he needed to have more power, he needed it… Yamato echoed his thoughts, excited at the prospect of a master that truly wanted to pursue power just for the sake of it, rather than justice or the very unique kind of power that Sparda had held, this was a master that the ancient devil knew that it could really tie itself to…

Years passed and it wasn't until he woke one morning, shaking the snow from the top of his head, dark scales glittering in the winter morning sun, that the power that he had acquired had really begun to mean something. He had learned to survive, and as Theuram kept reminding him, you learned to survive before you learned how to live. The half devil shivered, his demonic form kept him warmer than his human one but it was still extremely cold this morning. He walked toward the cabin, reaching for the warmth within that was his human form and stopped… it wasn't there. He tried again, only to come up short once more. He shivered, more out of discomfort than the cold and walked into the cabin. Theuram was already awake, Shark patiently awaiting breakfast near his feet, the purple devil turned with a mug of coffee at the ready. Vergil accepted it, taking a sip awkwardly in his demonic form.

"I… I can't change back." He said hesitantly, as though the older devil would be angry with him for it. Instead Theuram just threw him a smirk

"I thought so, you are ready for your next challenge, don't worry, you'll regain your human form in time, for now, this your default form." Vergil looked at him curiously

"I have a relative that guards the other side of the rift, I told him to be expecting you."

"You're sending me to the demonic world?" the half devil should have realized that he would one day be expected to travel the two dimensions but he hadn't thought it would happen this soon… he was only fifteen…

"Prepare your things, you'll be leaving when you're done with breakfast."

A/N: Mwahahahaha, oh this'll be fun, there might be a week or two break here while I reread the novel to remember how Vergil fits into that.

Till next time,

-Winged Element


	10. Whole New World

A/N: This is right about when things start to get complicated because I have to start figuring out timeline stuff with DMC4 and Nero... Cause this whole shenanigans is going to go with the nearly confirmed shtick that Nero is Vergil's kid, but I have to take guesses at ages and that affects when Vergil goes to Fortuna cause... Yeah... *grumbles slightly* although that sounds like a lot more fun than all the projects I have to do right now... School's kicking my ass guys... I'm so ready to be done, like seriously, I have a couple interviews for jobs processing right now so...

Disclaimer: No ownsies

Whole New World

Vergil shivered at the tingling sensation that ran over his scales when he stepped into the rift that had been widened so a devil of his caliber could go through. Theuram had told him that going in was the easy part, that it would be a lot harder for him to come back to the human world once he was in. The half breed accepted the challenge with a grin, he could do it and he knew it. He had power now, it wasn't enough, it would never be enough but he was finally starting to get somewhere. There was a stomach jerking lurch and then he was on solid ground again, falling on his face. The half devil barely managed to catch himself and stood back up to his feet again. He shook his head and was met with the face of a devil that looked an awful lot like Theuram, just more feminine, she grinned

"You must be Vergil." She said, the half devil nodded, still trying to get a handle on his stomach and making sure that all of his limbs were attached. "I'm Shira." She patted him on the back, causing his wings to twitch in surprise. "First time through the gate?" She laughed, Vergil nodded, finally starting to feel like he was in full control of himself again.

"It's always a little rough the first time, you'll get used to it." She said, sizing him up now that he was on his feet again. "You're a little small for a boy of your kind." Vergil frowned,

"I'm still growing." He said flatly, this caused her to just laugh again

"Not one for humor are you?" He gave her a look and she shook her head, waving him over to her home just a few short feet away. For the first time, Vergil looked around him. The sky was a bright, bright orange, and the ground glistened like polished obsidian, trees unlike any that he'd ever seen rimmed the small clearing, not too different from the flip side, yet completely alien at the same time. The young half devil followed after the she devil when she looked back at him.

"Why aren't there devil's trying to escape to the human world?" He asked, surprised at the quiet that inhabited the glade.

"Sharp eye." Shira said appreciatively, looking him up and down again "There are wards back off in the forest, I have to redo them daily, that's where the weaklings that can't just slide through tend to accumulate." Vergil nodded, that made sense, not too many slipped through the actual rift by Theuram but plenty of them would just slide through since the barrier was weaker near the rift. He followed her into the modest house, she didn't have the amount of spell casting equipment that Theuram had but she had many, many more weapons, objects sitting on shelves and emitting unearthly glows. The half devil looked around curiously, eager to learn what all of these things were or how to use them.

"There's a room downstairs." She said, gesturing to the stairs absently "You'll sleep there, I'm assuming Theuram was already teaching you how to survive on your own yes?" Vergil nodded, depositing his single bag by the stairs and turning to face the she devil again. "Good, now you'll get to do it in the demonic realm, don't expect it to be the walk in the park that it was in the human world." Vergil blinked as the smaller she devil grabbed his arm and promptly tossed him out the window. Vergil landed heavily on his back, the air rushing out of his lungs as he hit the hard ground. He rolled right up to his feet in a fighting stance, just to see Shira smirking at him.

"You're unprepared," her expression became serious "you're going to survive, on your own, for a year, between the outer ward and the inner one. If I find you, I will fight you, and I will not hold back." The half devil was too stunned to answer her, this was not exactly what he was expecting... "A devil needs to be able to survive on their own first." Vergil nodded then

"You learn how to live later." She grinned and nodded

"You have some brains in that skull." Vergil frowned and was about to turn and head in the direction of the ward he could feel

"Wait." She said and the half devil looked back

"Your devil arm. When I say by yourself, I mean it. If you accumulate another while surviving, great, but you don't get a head start just because your daddy was a big shot." Vergil paused

"But..." Her expression softened

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of it." The half devil summoned the ancient katana, he felt no hesitation from it as he handed it over and then took a deep breath and headed off to start his first trial of the Underworld.

A/N: I'll be honest, I'm buying time till I have time to reread the novel and start estimating timelines... Anywho, I should probably pay attention to class for a bit...

Till next time,

-Winged Element


	11. Strength

A/N: So this chapter is probably going to be boring, I'm just going to be upfront about that, I'm still trying to stall till I have the time to reread the novel and remember how Vergil fits into that, I know the novels are technically not cannon anymore but I think I can snake them into this crazy ass timeline that I have started here. Y'know what I noticed though, this is the story I'm probably most interested in, but it's the one getting the least attention *shrugs* meh, I do it just for fun so…

Disclaimer: Still none.

Strength

The half devil crawled forward on the tree branch he was perched on, wings perked and ready to take him in for his kill and nostrils flared with the scent of his next meal. He hesitated when he felt the presence of another, backing up on the tree and shielding his aura from any who might pay attention to it. A she devil walked around the area, pausing occasionally, Shira, Vergil's mind supplied, Shira is her name, he backed down lower, watching carefully as she reestablished the wards that surrounded the rift that the half devil could sense lightly pulsing in the background. He just watched, biding his time, she paused, lifting her nose to the air and he froze, hardly daring to even breathe, he couldn't risk being found. She had found him once before and he had barely escaped the fight with his life… Shira moved on and the half devil let out a sigh, his meal was gone but he could easily find another one. He had already decided that one of these days he was going to give Shira a taste of her own medicine, attack her and leave her bleeding in the dirt. He just didn't have the power to do it yet. He sighed again and dashed off the edge of the treebranch, long wings beating harshly at the air to keep him afloat. He gained altitude and then started off in search of his next meal.

Vergil had not anticipated how lonely he would get out in the middle of the wilds of the demonic realm. He had learned the differences between here and the human realm fairly quickly, anticipating what the demonic world would throw at him at any given moment. He was surviving, sure, but it was lonely. He wasn't used to being alone, not so completely like he was now. There had always been someone there, Dante, Yamato, he'd never truly felt so alone in his life but now… now there was absolutely no one. The black and blue half devil sighed, perching comfortably in the cliff-facing cave that he had claimed as his home, it was too difficult for most devils to even attempt to invade and therefore, they left him alone for the most part. He wandered to the back and curled up in the modest amount of sand that collected there from a time when the ocean had been much, much higher and carved out the cave that he now called home. He shuffled into a slightly more comfortable position and waited for sleep to overcome him.

-Anagram-

The half devil woke again sometime later and stood, stretching his arms out in front of himself. He was aware that his demonic form was changing slowly, but it was hard to tell by how much without a mirror or other means of viewing himself. He grumbled slightly and stretched his wings toward the ceiling, the tips brushing the roof. That was one thing, his wings were definitely a lot longer than they used to be, he still remembered when they were small and had hung uselessly off his back. He wondered if his human form was different now too, it had been almost four months since he'd come to the demonic world, he was still growing last he knew of in his human form. But he hadn't taken that form since he had come to the demonic realm. The half devil concentrated, feeling for the warmer sensation in his chest that was his human form. It took a lot longer to find than he anticipated and resisted his tugging at it violently. He frowned and tugged harder, not one to be dissuaded by a challenge. It was much more difficult than he ever remembered it being, normally when he had been in the human realm it was a simple change, easier even than going the other way, from human to devil, but this… this was a struggle. Finally the half devil sat, all too human, on the cave floor, he looked down at his hand curiously, his nails were longer than he usually liked dealing with, and his arms were covered in grime but that was most certainly to be expected. He shook his head, too long hair flopping into his face, he glared at it before picking up a sharp rock from the floor and starting to shear through it. The effort it took for him to remain in human form surprised him and by the time he finished cropping off some of his hair he couldn't help but revert back, breathing heavily.

"That's weird." He said, looking at his once again scalecoated arms and hands. It took the half devil a few more moments to recover before he felt comfortable taking off from the small cave and out into the open world in order to find his next meal.

A/N: I know this is kinda short but I frankly have no idea where I'm going with this chapter… so yeah… I know where the story is going but I need to brush up on some of my details before I try and write those bits, so for now I'm stalling until I have the time to reread the novel. Then I can start deciding timelines and dates and ages and stuff. Anywho if anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear them.

Till next time,

-Winged Element


	12. Time's Up

A/N: Gods I hate this class… I can tell it should be interesting stuff but scrolling through a pdf isn't teaching, I can do that at home and looking at us and telling us that you're going to _try_ to trip up our calculators is just a dick move… *sighs* rant aside, I reread the novel and now think I have more ideas one how this is going to get from point a to point b, yay! Getting started

Disclaimer: I don't own the knowledge of prob sig, which I'm supposed to…

Time's Up

Vergil counted the marks on the wall, and then counted them again, and one more time just to be sure. It didn't seem like it have been as long as it had… his year was up, he was free to go back to Shira, able to move on to the next step in his training, it was exciting but at the same time… he was nervous as hell, no pun intended… The half devil took a deep breath and took off from the cave that had sheltered him for most of the time that he had survived the harsh wilds of the demonic realm.

He found Shira waiting outside her home for him, a large smirk upon her face. He landed, half expecting her to jab at him but instead all she said was

"Nice job shorty." He growled lightly at the nickname, not that it was unexpected "I thought I was going to have to come and drag you out of the wilderness and kick your instincts back into place." Vergil took a deep breath and looked at her, knowing what she was referring to, the loneliness of solo survival was a bit intimidating and there was many a time that he wanted to simply forget his humanity just to be free of its burden.

"I have grown." He responded instead, Shira just laughed and then it was only the half devil's quick reflexes that kept something from hitting him in the head. He smiled when a presence flooded into his mind

"He missed you, wouldn't stop grumbling on my shelf." Shira said, pointing to the devil arm. Vergil chuckled and shook his head, that must've been a sight to see, Yamato wasn't the most vocal devil arm to begin with but imagining it grumbling about the lack of owner must've been pretty great. The half devil was expecting the attack that flew his way but that didn't mean that he was prepared for the ferocity of it. Shira was going to test him, she had seen him survive, now began learning how to live.

-Anagram-

So began the training in swordsmanship, sorcery, history, the rules of demonic society, it was nearly as difficult as learning to survive the harsh wilderness but Vergil enjoyed it, it felt good to train his mind once more to work and solve through problems. He adjusted his shoulders, the feeling of the lack of wings a bit disconcerting, his demonic form had altered, looking more akin to an armored knight now than a ferocious devil. He concentrated, focusing his power through Yamato, the blade proving to be a great lens to push power through, as he attempted to look into the human world. Shira sat at the kitchen table, putzing with an experiment of her own, but he could tell that she was paying attention to him. An image began to clear on the mirror in front of him, the white hair and long lanky frame so similar to his own human form

"Dante…" he breathed, just barely able to make out the scene around him, he was in a gun shop, talking with an older woman, his mind flashed to Madeline for a moment before brushing it off, Madeline had been weak, human. He focused back on the image, the half devil in question had turned and was looking over his shoulder confusedly. He couldn't hear what they were saying but he could see the woman's mouth moving and Dante turned back to her, his shoulders shaking with laughter. Vergil sighed and let the image go, it was hard to keep it there, both physically and emotionally. He sat back in his chair and Shira looked over at him.

"You can't keep holding on to him." She warned. He looked over at her flatly

"You're the one who told me that the bond between littermates is strong." He said, she rolled her eyes

"I did, but I also told you that wasn't good or bad, attachments like that, ones filled with longing and regret are just going to slow you down, you have to be able to let go of it if you want to keep gaining power." Vergil sighed again, looking down and picking at his long cape.

"I wish he had stayed, that he had come with me."

"And what a pair you would've been, the sons of Sparda, making a name for yourselves in both worlds." Shira said "But you can't change the past Vergil, so don't bother pining after it."

"I wasn't pining!" he snapped, Shira just chuckled

"Right, then what were you doing?" she asked, Vergil grinned, Yamato sensing his intent and pulsing in his mind to show its approval

"Picking a place to set up a stronghold for demonic kind." Shira raised an eyebrow, not disapproving but questioning his ability

"You sure you can do that?" she asked, Vergil nodded

"I'm sure." The she devil waved a hand

"Go on, conduct your experiment, you wanted to surpass your father's power, undoing his work is one hell of a way to do it." The half devil grinned, his fingers itching to get started, this, this would prove that he had the power he needed, this would be his chance.

A/N: Welp… that happened, Vergil you might be going off the rails just a smidge, but in the novel he kinda is off the rails a smidge, so I'm just gonna let it fly… there won't be much more to this one, but I'll be picking right up in the next.

Till next time,

-Winged Element


	13. Anagram

A/N: Right back at the whole typing thing… Woot woot, jeez I can't wait for this semester to be over, I have two classes I absolutely loathe, one I forget even exists, and two that are okay, but I just really want to be done with the horrible, awful, want to bang my head on a wall classes… help… *sighs* week and a half… week and a half and then I'll be done…

Disclaimer: *too busy struggling against term projects and studying for finals…*

Anagram

Vergil shivered as he passed through the portal, the energy of it tingling against his skin and scales as he did. Even as he paused to breathe for a moment, his demonic form didn't fall away, instead remaining just as solidly in place as it did in the demonic realm. Vergil paused, trying to force it back, to fall back into his human form, but the resistance it provided proved he wouldn't be able to hold it for long. The half devil gave a huge sigh and instead pulled himself into a form that was easier to disguise, his armor less bulky, keeping his hands and face free of the distortion. He paused for a moment, thinking, he couldn't go wandering around this town looking like Dante when the younger twin didn't even remember who he was… he shuffled in the bag that Shira had given him, pulling the suit out and awkwardly pulling it on and then his hand brushed against a roll of bandages that she had tossed in on the off chance that he needed them. He paused, pulling them out and looking at them and then shrugged and began wrapping them around his face, sure he'd look eccentric but those that worked in the underground usually did.

The young half devil wandered through the city, his mind picking out good points to pick at the veil between the two worlds, seeing the layout of the city, taking the sights into mind. He grinned, he was so close, he might even be able to bring Dante back into his right mind again with him, bring his nestmate to the underworld where they could rule side by side. A small growl worked its way out of his throat and Yamato emanated feelings of eager anticipation. He walked into a small motel, quickly ordering a room and ignoring the suspicious glares of the woman behind the counter. The room smelled musty but would serve adequately for his purposes.

After dropping off his things he went back on the town, trying to find the people that he needed to get in contact with the sketchier side of life in this city. His long strides took him across town and back again and Yamato hung comfortably in his grip. A rather portly man stumbled out of a bar, face bright with liquor, he swayed dangerously, almost knocking into Vergil. The half devil glared at him, expecting the man to take off as quickly as his drunken steps could take him. Instead he gave a small squeak and then looked closer at Vergil with cloudy eyes, taking in the sword and slightly defensive stance.

"Ya know how ta use that…?" he drawled out, the words slurring together, making them hard to understand. Vergil paused and then nodded, the man grinned.

"C'mon, I know a place fer you…" he gestured over his shoulder, stumbling down the alley. Vergil followed him hesitantly, Yamato pulsed out warnings as he did.

"Where are we going?" the half devil asked after a moment of slow travel. The man chuckled

"Right now? To get food, I need to sober up. If ya want to get in where the good jobs are, you'll spot me for lunch." Vergil grumbled but didn't object, following the portly man and hoping that this would lead to the results he was looking for.

-Anagram-

A few hours later and thirty buck down, the man had introduced himself as Enzo, a broker in information if you would. Vergil wasn't quite sure what to think of the man but his knowledge seemed sound. The half devil was fairly sure that this man would be able to fulfill his side of this small bargain.

"So what's with the bandages?" he quipped in between bites of a large plate of pasta, the stocky man had indeed nearly sobered up at this point and dusk was just falling. Vergil just glared at him.

"That's none of your business." He growled, picking at the food that he had ordered just to be polite. He had rather lost his appetite for human food after a year of living in the wilds of the underworld as he had. Enzo wasn't intimidated, he just shrugged

"Suit yourself." He said then eyed up the blade resting on the booth next to the half devil.

"That's a nice blade."

"A memento from my father." Vergil answered quickly, he was too anxious to get on with things here.

"Mmm, you good with it."

"Better than any you know." The half devil snapped, Enzo chuckled

"I don't know about that…" Vergil wondered if he was referring to Dante, his brother had been good with a blade when they were children but he didn't know if the other kept up on it. Vergil paid his tab and followed Enzo down the block to a worn down, hole in the wall type of place.

"Well here we are, let me introduce you…" he looked up at the half devil, just realizing that he'd never asked his name. Vergil paused, he couldn't use Tony, that was currently being used by Dante…

"Call me Gilver." He said with a dark grin, things were finally falling into place.

A/N: So… yeah! This is actually the last chapter of Anagram, just because this leads right into the novel and the next one involving Vergil will take place after that ends, taking him into Fortuna and events that we all know happened but Capcom refuses to confirm ;p

Till next time,

-Winged Element


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